Upper Deck’s The Cup is the most premium hockey release from the company, featuring some of the most sought-after trading cards in the sport: Rookie Patch Auto cards. New to the 2023-24 release was Upper Deck’s proprietary authentication service, which included pre-slabbed Rookie Patch Auto trading cards to help combat the growing issue of patch swapping, allowing consumers on the secondary market to ensure they can purchase the card as it was issued by Upper Deck. Each slab includes a serial number that collectors can use to view more than 15 images of the Rookie Patch Auto trading card, ensuring no modifications have been made. This first-of-its-kind self-verification service never existed before the 2023-24 The Cup release, which included prominent Rookie Patch Auto cards, including Conor Bedard, Logan Cooley, Luke Hughes, and Adam Fantilli. This service will continue to be offered by Upper Deck as a part of future releases.